Germany to Ban Online Poker

More bad news, this time from Germany. They are planning to ban online gambling / online poker from Jan the 1st.

Bloomberg.com: Germany

omg what a blow to the online economy
i really dont understand why online gambling is so hated upon yet they do nothing to prevent live gambling in casinos
poor germans yall will be missed

Wow, and I thought the US had the market on this type of insanity. Does at least look like from some comments in the article that there's hope the new German ban will be overturned quickly.

That is terrible - we have some members over there.

The state wants its rake!

Thanks Nick, I May have to move to Germany in a few months for work....

Germany to Ban Online Gambling Jan. 1 Under Accord by States

By Karin Matussek
Dec. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Online gambling will be banned in Germany as of Jan. 1 after German states ratified an accord that preserves the country's state monopoly for lotteries and most forms of betting.
At least 13 of Germany's 16 states have submitted the ratification documents, Eric Braum, a spokesman for the Hesse government, which monitors the process, said in an interview today. ``That's the required majority and we expect to have all the rest coming in by New Year's Eve.''
All 16 state legislatures voted by mid-December to approve the new online-betting laws, which the states negotiated after the Federal Constitutional Court ruled in 2006 that the former model was unconstitutional. The new rules, which expire at the end of 2011, have drawn criticism from Internet betting companies and lottery brokers like Bwin Interactive Entertainment AG, Fluxx AG and Tipp24 AG.
The new rules ban any form of Web-based gambling or brokering of games over the Internet. The states may order Internet service providers to block Web sites of illegal betting operations and banks to stop money transfers to them. The rules' definition of illegal gaming includes placing a bet from German territory over the Web with a company based outside Germany.
The regulations also will outlaw advertising of gaming over the Internet and on television. Advertising in print and other media may no longer ``directly invite, incite or prompt'' customers to play; it may only ``inform'' about the possibility to do so.
`Contrary to Law'
Tipp24 said last week that the company ``doesn't see its business model jeopardized'' because it expects the new rules to be overturned in court. The company regards the regulations ``as clearly contrary to law and will sue for its rights if necessary,'' Tipp24 said in a statement Dec. 19.
Bwin sued four German states on Oct. 30 seeking to continue offering online bets after the rules come into effect. The cases are pending.
Bwin operates a site under a license originally issued by the communist East German government before unification and another portal under a Gibraltar license. The company claims that both permits prevail over the new online-betting ban and will continue to operate its sites.
``We think that in the second half of 2008 the European Court of Justice will have stopped this futile effort to keep us out of Germany,'' Hartmut Schultz, a spokesman for Bwin, said in an interview Dec. 18.
The European Commission, the European Union's Brussels- based regulator, called on Germany to reconsider the total ban on online betting, saying the step was disproportional. In April, Germany rejected that demand, arguing the rules are needed to protect citizens from the dangers of gambling.
``I am pretty sure the commission will escalate the process and send a formal warning the day after'' the new law takes effect, Wolfgang Kubicki, leader of the FDP opposition party poker in Schleswig-Holstein's Parliament, said in an interview on Dec. 20. ``Berlin will have something in the mail on Jan. 3.''
The commission can sue EU member states to force them to comply with EU law.

Guess all them Germans that said good riddance to the US players got they reward.

Last Updated: December 27, 2007 09:12 EST

Wow, had there been any run-up to this happening. I had heard nothing about this possibility. Had you? And if so, have you heard of any other countries that are considering this? Anyone know about Panama? Where is the best source for a worldwide listing on this?

I doubt this will actually happen, and if it does will probably be very short lived.

Several months ago, Italy passed a law to ban online gaming. The European Court of Justice overturned it, and now as of Jan 1, Italy is making online gaming legal.

Italy will legalize online poker: US bill to ban online gambling at standstill

So I seriously doubt the German law will last long at all. I *think* the Italian one was overturned rather quickly.

Being English, it's not often I have anything good to say about EU politics or law, and this is no exception - it's a long winded beurocratic joke. Paradoxically, that's good news in this case as by the time they've finished arguing about it, they will have forgotten what they were arguing about and the USA will be back in the online poker fraternity!

If i didnt know better i would say it must be April Fools day - its just insane

It appears it has nothing to do with the people playing online or the amount etc, the government of that individual country (France, Germany + USA etc) want to control and keep within its own borders all the money that is gambled.

They dont want millions of people - potentially - weakening the economy by losing their Euros, dollars to people in another country and boosting that money market.

At least this means the tables will be less full.

If this is truly going to happen, I swear I'm going to relocate.
I would think that the European Commission is going to stop it though.

Definately. I just don't get how stupid the government has to be to make laws that contradict with the EU laws. A german person or ISP couldn't be prosecuted by the law anyways as one can say that the actions are legal under EU law. In effect the law will be useless.

I'm pretty sure that the ban only refers to sports betting and lotteries. That's what's been in the media over here (in Germany) for quite a while now. There's never been any mention of online poker. And apparently, according to an article I read recently, most of these idiots trying to ban online gambling didn't even know anything about online poker, and said they were just focusing on sports betting. I hope that's true.

The best thing about it is that they want to make it illegal for private companies to offer sportsbooks, etc. But it's perfectly OK for the state-run sportsbook and lottery to offer the exact same thing. Ridiculous.

Let us do what we want with our money. If you want part of the profits open up a damn betting site on German soil and make it better than the other ones out there.. isn't that a true free market?

germany first rest of the european union next,where will it end?

This only confirms my opinion that "Big Brother" truely is watching over us, and he's gone "world wide". What a creepy feeling.

wow i really didnt think that any other country would ban online gambling hopefully germany can pul together as a country like us and form an alliance.

just a friendly request again. Does anyone know which site might list each country's status as far as online poker? Like which ones are considering bans and such. Anyone know where to keep track? where there is a good listing?

thank you.

Achtung nein Poker!


lol, well to be serious this sucks for germany - although i saw above how fast italy changed its law...could happen to germany too.

and how exactly do u stop someone from playing? im sure if germans WANT to poker it up bad enough, they will find a way illegally.